


The Creature of Cautionary Sailors' Tales...is a Fish Thief?

by prubun



Series: RusPru One-Shots [44]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friendship, Human Names, M/M, maritime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27531514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prubun/pseuds/prubun
Summary: Ivan never believed in the myths of sirens, mermaids, and harpies that terrorized sailors, until the day he met one face-to-face. [Fisherman!Ivan x Siren!Gilbert]
Relationships: Russia/Prussia
Series: RusPru One-Shots [44]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1401427
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	The Creature of Cautionary Sailors' Tales...is a Fish Thief?

**Author's Note:**

> ** [Posted: November 12, 2020] **
> 
> It’s been 2 months since I posted anything longer than a drabble. Oops.
> 
> I always love some mer!Gilbert. I have more ideas for him as different types of mer but this idea was cute and I had fun writing it. Maybe one day I’ll write more siren!Gilbert. This one also leans more towards Ivan's PoV without fully going there. The title is also much longer and a bit different from my usual naming scheme; I wanted to try something a little more fun and playful for it. Anyway, I hope you like this little oneshot!
> 
>  **CW:** None.

It was a clear day. The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in sight, and a slight breeze made the sun not so hot on Ivan's skin. The water was calm as well, allowing safe and smooth sailing from the docks.

Ivan had left early in the morning, alone on his small fishing sailboat; Many other fishermen thought he was rash for going alone, claiming that things can go wrong and warned him of the sea creatures that could attack a lone sailor and drag him to the depths. Ivan didn't buy into any of it — he'd been sailing these waters for years and never once had he seen such a creature. 

After sailing out from port, the shoreline thinning into a distant line behind him, the vast ocean on nearly all sides of him, Ivan stopped his boat and dropped anchor, set up his fishing gear, and got to work. 

The first few hours passed tediously, fish rarely bit and he only caught a few, and the sun was beginning to drain Ivan's energy and burn his skin. Slowly the sun began to descend to the west, but he had a job to do so he couldn't stop yet. Another fish took his bait, he reeled it in and removed it from the hook, then he walked to the fish bucket that was at the stern of his boat. As he looked in, preparing to place the new fish in, something caught his attention.

"I could've sworn I caught more than this..." he said aloud, mentally counting the fish. He was missing at least 2 that he could count — maybe 3. No one else was with him, so he figured it had to be the heat getting to him finally. Shaking his head, he put the fish in the bucket, then walked back to the bow of the boat. He rolled the shelves of his off-white, ragged tunic up to his elbow, prepared his fishing rod, then cast another line out. A few minutes when by, another fish caught his line, and he reeled it in. Just as before, he went to the bucket and noticed — again — that the previous fish was definitely gone.

The feeling of being watched crept in; an odd sensation when alone out on the quiet sea. There were no other boats, and even no birds in the area — which might have tipped him off as being possibly strange. He slowly spun on his heels, glancing in every direction before placing the fish in the bucket. This time, however, he placed the wooden lid on and snapped the buckle to secure it.

Once again he went back to his spot. Deciding to keep watch, he set a dirty reflective mirror up next to him, aimed at the bucket at the stern, then cast an empty hook back into the water. His eyes shifted to the mirror, watching it for a few seconds before looking back to his line. A few minutes passed and there was nothing, just the sound of soft waves crashing against his sailboat.

Ivan yawned and rubbed his forehead with his forearms, feeling the sweat stick to his skin. Closing his eyes to relax for a few seconds, a noise finally caught his ears — a scratching. Snapping his eyes open and to the mirror, he almost couldn't believe what he was seeing: A man with pale white skin and hair slicked to the shape of his skull was leaning over the stern of the boat, frustrated hands clutching at the locking mechanism on the fish box. As Ivan studied him through the mirror, he noticed that his body was shaped differently the further down it went, like he didn't have legs. A mermaid? No, something was...different.

The siren growled under his breath as his fingers fumbled with the lock, irritated that he couldn't just reach in and take a fish anymore. Once he got the box open, a grin appeared on his lips; a wide toothy grin of accomplishment. He stuck both clawed hands into the box and pulled out a fish, then smiled so excitedly as he bit into it.

"Hey!" Ivan finally yelled as he stood up from his seat. The creature let out a loud shriek as it was startled by the sudden movement yet it sounded almost melodic and sweet. It then occurred to Ivan that there was a siren stealing his fish. Adrenaline kicked it as he remembered stories of sirens, usually beautiful women who tempt sailors with their voices before devouring them; he wasn't going to take that chance. Ivan grabbed a paddle he used for adjusting his sailboat and began to poke it defensively at the siren. 

He dodged it with another shriek and dropped his fish as he fell onto the boat, then stammered to sit upright on his hands. Ivan was able to see the creature fully then: he had a long beautiful tail that came to a single point like an eel's — white that blended seamlessly into the flesh at his naval, semi-transparent frills along the edges down to the tip, and spots of blue that implied bioluminescence. He looked monstrous, yet had an otherworldly beauty to him. 

Still in fight or flight, Ivan swung again, but this time the siren stopped the wooden pole with his hands and glared at him. His bright pink eyes narrowed into a deep scowl, pupils slit and trained on the human, brows furrowed, and a deep growl rattled his throat, causing the gills on his neck to flutter.

The next thing Ivan knew, he was hoisted into the air with an unexpected strength from the siren. He was still holding onto the wooden pole when he was heaved over the edge of his sailboat, but let go as he began to fall, yelping unceremoniously. As he splashed down into the water he tasted salt and brine, his hands thrashed to the water in an attempt to find the surface. Opening his eyes hurt but he was used to that pain; being a fisherman, he often had saltwater in every orifice. He turned in the water to look for his boat, but instead saw a shape moving toward him; white and swimming like an eel.

However, it swam wide and began to circle Ivan. Ivan watched him — it was almost beautiful how he moved in the water, how his long tail trailed behind him with his movement, his hair billowed around his face. There was a playful smirk on his lips as he neared the human, eyes curious as he scanned him.

Ivan broke the surface of the water with heavy coughs and gasps, his hands splashed against the ocean as he tried to steady himself against the waves. He took a glance around and saw his boat 10 meters away, so he swam toward it. After he heaved himself over the side and fell onto his back, he lied there for a few minutes, heavy breaths raising his chest. Standing up, he looked around; Ivan saw no sign of the creature — or his paddle. With a heavy sigh, Ivan weighed anchor, unfurled the sails, and slowly made his way back to port shortly before dusk.

Ivan spent the next few days off the water. The encounter with that siren had spooked him enough to keep him on dry land for a while, buying his fish instead of catching it himself. However, about three days in, he started to miss sailing. So, he gathered his equipment — and a new paddle — and ventured back out onto the open sea one early morning. Some may think him stupid for returning to where he first saw the siren, but there was a part of him that was curious.

The first hour was quiet and he even caught a few fish, which he counted each time to keep track. However, none went missing. He took a moment to relax, stood at the edge of his sailboat, and looked out toward the distant horizon. It was peaceful, but then his eyes caught something in the water. A head of wet white hair — familiar — emerged from the blue. Only the siren's eyes were visible above the water, but those pink eyes were trained on Ivan.

"H-Hello..." Ivan greeted as he blinked. He took a step back then as the other emerged even more from the water until he was right next to the boat's side. But then he lifted his arm and in his hand, there was a long piece of wood; a familiar paddle Ivan had lost to the other. The way the siren was holding it out was obviously meant for Ivan to take it. So, cautiously, Ivan grabbed it. He half expected to be thrown into the sea again, but the pale, clawed hands of the creature simply let go. "Thank you," Ivan said calmly, unsure if the creature could even understand him. His eyes scanned over him now that he wasn't angry and bearing his teeth — the creature was oddly beautiful. Otherworldly, mythical. Then the creature nodded.

"Sorry for taking your stick," he said and narrowed his eyes. "And your fish."

It was oddly endearing. Ivan was surprised that the creature could speak to him, but he spoke well, if with a slightly raspy voice. Ivan gave a soft smile and sat at the edge of the boat.

"It's alright. Just...maybe don't steal from fishermen who's job is to catch fish," he scolded gently and the other pursed his lips a little. "Do you have a name?" he asked. The other nodded again.

"Gilbert," he answered and tilted his head. "Do you need help fishing? I'm a great hunter," he boasted and puffed his chest up a bit, shifting his tail like an excited cat.

"I don't know..." Ivan spoke in a playfully skeptical tone. "You were stealing from me, so how does that make you a good hunter?"

That comment clearly frustrated Gilbert and he huffed loudly. He didn't say anything then and simply dove into the water, his tail splashing water up in Ivan's direction. Within a minute Gilbert came back with a sizeable fish in his hands, a proud grin on his lips.

"Well? Still think I'm not a good hunter?" he asked. The fairly stunned expression on Ivan's face said all he needed to hear.

"Okay, I take it back," Ivan answered with a chuckle. "Alright, I don't see any harm in you helping, sure."

Once again Gilbert looked excited and flipped back into the water. This time, he was gone for a few minutes, which gave Ivan enough time to bait and cast his line out again. For a while, it was quiet as if he was alone again and he wondered if Gilbert left. He found himself questioning why that thought bothered him.

However, a sudden splash got his attention as Gilbert's head broke the surface of the water. He turned to his right and saw Gilbert swimming toward him, his long tail slithering on the water behind him. He heaved himself up onto the boat and dropped two big fish, while the third was carried in his mouth. Ivan happily picked up the bigger fish from the deck and laughed in relief.

"This is amazing! Thank you, Gilbert!" he beaned and looked to the siren, who was flipping his tail a little from the praise, then dropped the fish from his mouth. It was then that Ivan saw the long punctures in the fish's scales along with the semicircle of teeth marks. "Y'know, you can keep that one," he said with a crooked smile. Gilbert didn't seem to catch Ivan's disinterest in the partially mutilated fish and bit back into it, flipping his tail happily.

For the next few hours, Gilbert assisted Ivan in fishing; he brought three fish to him at a time but Ivan let him keep the third. Eventually, Ivan's container couldn't carry any more fish.

"Thanks for your help, I have enough fish to last me for weeks now," Ivan thanked him as he wiped the sweat from his brow, then pursed his lips. "Do you...want to meet again tomorrow?"

"I thought you said you have enough fish to last for weeks?" Gilbert asked. The siren was lying on his back on the deck with his tail hanging off the side, peeling the flesh of a fish off its bones with his sharp teeth. He completely missed what Ivan was implying.

"I do...but I can still sell extra fish for money," he explained. Even if it was true, he didn't need to. He found Gilbert enjoyable and friendly, despite what the tales of sirens claimed them to be. That thought sparked a question — he'd been thinking of Gilbert as a siren, but he seemed more like a merman the more he thought about it. "Hey, Gilbert... Do you sing?" he inquired.

The question caught Gilbert's attention and for a split second, there was a look of surprise on his face before it shifted to a curious expression.

"I do. Want to hear?" he quizzed while his grin widened. Ivan hesitated.

"Will my boat sink if I do?" Ivan asked jokingly. Gilbert tilted his head, dropped the fish to the deck, and flipped his tail.

"No, it won't," he replied with a calm tone, yet the corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. He then took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and a series of beautiful, ethereal notes poured out.

**Author's Note:**

> **Hey! Thanks for reading!**   
>  **If you enjoyed this fic, make sure to leave a kudos and comment below!💕**
> 
> **Afterthoughts:**  
>  •In my opinion, Ivan is kinda nuts for going out on the deep sea with a tiny boat. Which, by the way, **[this](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/682664084453589027/772976346451410964/Peapod2-LG.png)** is basically what I pictured Ivan's book looking like.  
> •Ivan is also basically dressed like Miguel from The Road to El Dorado, but just white and dark grey, because 1) it matches the setting, and 2) I recently rewatched that movie.  
> •Tail inspiration for Gilbert **[here](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/682664084453589027/777200326180732968/unknown.png)**.  
> •I really love Gilbert being kind of awkward and oblivious to certain things. It gives him this playful side that I think catches Ivan off guard but finds really endearing. Also Gilbert being all cocky about catching fish, I love it.  
> •Gilbert chomping that fish. So good.  
> •Gilbert isn't well versed in the subtle nuance of human speech. Ivan's implication of wanting to see him again just went "r/whoosh" over his head.
> 
> **—**
> 
> **Social links:** <https://linktr.ee/prubun>


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